Happy Birthday, Mom!

Tammi Hottle, turning 57 and making it look good, 11.7.16.

We made it. We made it to November 7th, the day we can never remember because Dalton's birthday is on the 6th and it's easy to confuse. We made it. And we all tried to help you make it here, but mostly, you helped us. 

You made it here by waking up every morning, or sometimes every afternoon, and moving at least from your bed to the chair. By eating when you didn't want to eat. By swallowing the pills you didn't feel like taking. By visiting with friends you don't remember conversations with (chemo brain), but remember the love of.

You made it here by shaving your head without any fanfare this time. By finding a way to make sweat pants look good. By allowing yourself to succumb to the hard things, to avoid the worse things. 

You made it here by dragging yourself to the truck, with dad's help, every Tuesday for those appointments. By letting the chemo do what chemo does, and finding some thankfulness in the pain. 

You made it here by visiting your kids with oxygen tanks and bags of pills and drain-emptying medical equipment in tow. By modeling for the world that life, even at its hardest, must be lived.

You made it here by noticing when you were having a "good day," and rejoicing in that. By taking walks to the park that at first seemed impossible, and now seem inevitable. By reminding us all that days cannot be taken for granted, and that when good days are too distant, good moments will do.

You made it here by waking from much needed sleep, when you didn't need to, to greet your children after their long drives home to be with you. By pretending with minimal success to feel better than you did. By being honest in your fear, and in your faith.

You made it here by greeting each morning acknowledging, "I'm not dying today!" And letting that be enough. 

You made it here with big salads, and an adventure with eye lashes, and heartache, and Mumble, and with more faith than you knew you had, and with more power than you knew you had, and with medicine, and with mercy. And by your making it here, you've brought us along too, and have taught us things we wish we didn't have to learn all together, but are forever indebted to you for. 

So mom, this year for your birthday, we are celebrating your re-birth-day too. We hope you know how grateful we are that you were born, and born again, and again. We hope you know that we see how much you've overcome, and that we stand in awe. We hope you feel like the superwoman we know you to be. And we hope you continue to sparkle in the face of darkness, having taught us always to do the same.

Happy birthday, mom. You've earned this one. And we are so glad. 

Send Tammi a birthday note below!